City Of Damascus Research Articles

Morphology of quarters in traditional Arab Islamic city: A case of the traditional city of Damascus

Studies on the quarters of traditional Arab Islamic cities have stressed the idea of an urban structure that corresponds to social groupings and to a collection of local regions or even of “inchoate” neighborhood units. This spatial model has often provided the rationale for the intervention in these cities and in the design of new housing layouts. This study aims to examine this issue through syntactic measures and observations to describe and analyze the structure and morphology of quarters through connectivity and visibility analysis of pedestrian movement through space syntax. Whether the structure of these cities presents a global whole in contrast to the assumptions of physical subareas of social groupings is discussed. The city of Damascus is used as a model of analysis in which the urban morphology of quarters is described and characterized. This study reports several findings that are potentially relevant to the understanding of traditional laws that relate the physical layout of quarters to the social structure and their local subareas to the global whole that dominate and unify the parts. On this basis, the design approach in these cities may be better understood.

Palestinian Refugees between the City and the Camp

AbstractThe camp and the city are both important for understanding the relationship between space and identity in the refugee experience of exile. In the Palestinian example, the camp has emerged as a potent symbol in the narrative of exile although only a third of refugees registered with UNRWA live in camps. Moreover, the city and urban refugees remain missing in most of the scholarship on the Palestinian experience with space, exile, and identity. Furthermore, there is little attention to how refugees understand the concept of the city and camp in their daily life. This article examines how Palestinian urban refugees in the Old City of Damascus conceptualized the relationship between the camp and the city. It illustrates how the concept of the camp remained necessary for the construction of their collective national identity while in Syria. However, the city was essential in the articulation of individual desires and establishing social distinction from other refugees. Thus, during a protracted exile it is in the interstice between the city and the camp, where most urban refugees in the Old City situated themselves, that informed their national belonging and personal aspirations.

CULTURE-LED URBAN DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE IN A WORLD HERITAGE CITY: THE CASE STUDY OF THE OLD CITY OF DAMASCUS IN SYRIA

Abstract. This paper deals with the process of transformation of a cultural quarter developed at al-Amin district inside the Old City of Damascus. In 2006, approximately 25–30 artists, moved to this historical neighbourhood and settled in its traditional houses, changing their function into studios/ateliers. One year later, the district was called “The Artists’ Quarter” with the acknowledgment of local and international institutions. The presence of artists’ studios and many cultural events in the area has contributed to the discovery of the rich architectural and cultural heritage of the neighbourhood and the development of a new sphere of public encounters. This quarter became a destination for tourists as well as for locals. Unfortunately, during the war in Syria, started in 2011, different negative changes have happened at al-Amin district. The study aims to (1) Highlight the origin and development of the quarter from the point of view of the artists and the dwellers; (2) Study the spatial and socio-economic effects caused by the “Artists’ Quarter”; (3) Evaluate the changes in the traditional houses due to change of their function; (4) Investigate the actual situation due to the war. Information was collected mainly from interviews with several artists, with hotels' managers and shopkeepers in the quarter, in addition to literature review, consultation of maps and plans and on-site observation. Results of the study will help in understanding this model of urban development and try to set up recommendations for integrated development and heritage management of this neighbourhood.

CONSULATE GENERAL OF SYRIA

Diplomatic buildings have experienced many conceptual changes in the course of modern diplomacy. Initially conceived as literal representations of the history and culture of the guest country, over the years they have come to represent in a more abstract way the values, intentions and self-image of the guest country in addition to its relationship with the host country. In this work, a proposal on a new building design for the Consulate General of Syria at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia is presented. For this work, three case studies related to consulate designs were analysed. The analysed case studies were New US embassy in London, Netherlands Embassy in Berlin and Iran Embassy at Tokyo, Japan. Based on the case study analysis, the estimate area for the proposed new consulate building is 15000 m2. This consulate will comprise three parts are political section 40%; mixed-use: 25%; and residential 35%. For this work, 3 sites were proposed for development. Based on site evaluation score, site 3, which is located at Al Amir Sultan Road, Jeddah was selected as the proposed development site. The proposed design style of the new consulate has focused on the city of Damascus, the capital of Syria. The new consulate is expected to serve the huge number of citizens that is increasing each year.

TELAAH KITAB AL-SUNNAH QABLA AL-TADWĪN KARYA M. ‘AJJAJ AL-KHATIB

This article explores the book of al-Sunnah Qabla al-Tadwīn by M. Ajjaj al-Khatib, an Islamic thinker who is an expert in the field of hadith science, coming from the city of Damascus. The purpose of this paper is to uncover, study and find out about the biography of M. Ajjaj al-Khatib and how systematic and fleeting about discussing the contents of the book al-Sunnah Qabla al-Tadwin then related to the rebuttal of Ajjaj al-Khatib sunnah. Then do not need attention about the advantages and disadvantages that exist in the book. The method used in this paper is a descriptive-text analysis method for the book as-Sunnah Qabla Tadwīn by using a supported book.

Orta Çağ’da Şam Diyarının Stratejik Bir Kalesi: Aclûn Kalesi

Orta Çağ’da Şam diyarında Filistin’in doğusu ile Amman’ın kuzeyinde yer alan Aclûn şehrinde bulunan Aclûn Kale’sinin, ilk inşasından itibaren dönemi boyunca önemini sürdürmüş stratejik bir merkez olduğu görülmektedir. Kalenin de içerisinde yer aldığı Aclûn şehrinin, bölgedeki önemli yerleşim alanlarından birisi olduğu bilinmektedir. Hiç kuşkusuz şehri önemli ve cazip bir yer konumuna getiren özelliklerin başında, şehrin bölgede merkezi bir yerde bulunması ve savunma için güçlü bir kaleye sahip olması gelmektedir. Aclûn Kalesi’nin Türk ve İslâm tarihi açısından önemli bir yeri bulunmaktadır. Örneğin; Aclûn Kalesi, Haçlı saldırılarına karşı korunmak maksadıyla 1184 yılında Selâhaddin Eyyûbî’nin komutanı İzzeddin Üsâme tarafından inşa ettirilmiştir. Ayrıca daha sonraki süreçte Moğollara karşı Mısır diyarını müdafaa edecek savunma hattının, Memlûkler tarafından Aclûn’da teşekkül ettirilmiş olduğu görülmektedir. Gerek Haçlılara karşı korunma amaçlı kalenin inşa edilmesinin gerekse Moğollara karşı savunma hattının burada oluşturulmasında Aclûn şehrinin, merkezi konumda bir yer olmasının yanı sıra güçlü bir kaleye sahip olmasının da etkili olduğu görülmektedir. Eyyûbîler ve Memlûkler döneminde altın çağını yaşayan Aclûn Kalesi, Osmanlılar Dönemi’nde seleflerine nazaran önemini yitirmiş ve nihayetinde son asırlardaysa eski stratejik önemini kaybetmiştir. Bu çalışmamızda Orta Çağ’da Aclûn Kalesi’nin hususiyle Eyyûbîler ve Memlûkler zamanında üstlenmiş olduğu fonksiyonlarına ve önemine işaret edeceğiz. Bunlara ilaveten bizatihi müşahede edip inceleme fırsatı bulduğumuz Aclûn Kalesi’nin çekmiş olduğumuz bazı fotoğraflarına da çalışmamızda yer vereceğiz.

Comparing Road User Charging Acceptability in the City of Tunis and Damascus

Worldwide, multiple studies have been trying to reduce traffic issues without physically changing the road network, this is when the congestion fees strategy has been considered as a favorable solution for the urban traffic issues. A fundamental condition that needs to be checked before the implementation of the road-pricing scheme is the acceptability of both the political and the public parties. The acceptability is so variable and depends on many features and differs from one individual to another, thus, a survey with a set of variant questions might help to understand the expectations and the worries of the citizens and aim to improve them for better effectiveness of the road-pricing project. This report aims, through analyzing the responses of a distributed survey, to evaluate the acceptability of the citizens of Tunis, Tunisia and Damascus, Syria in order to draw a comparison between the two cities. Moreover, it assesses the degree of acceptability and the variable expectations of the implementation of the congestion fees of the two societies.

Old Damascus Travel Industry and Patrimony

Damascus is the most established possessed city on the planet with a history going back over 9000 years. Old Damascus exists in the dividers of the recorded city of Damascus. Damascus is described by its hundreds of years old structures and heavenly places, which are images of religions. Damascus' engineering is remarkable in its Damascene style, its recorded markets, its excellent houses of worship and it’s amazing mosque, which is a symbol of design. In any case, old Damascus experiences a few issues that influence its authentic appearance and the travel industry division experiences shortcoming because of absence of consideration and care of verifiable landmarks and the travel industry advancement in extent to its recorded significance. The most significant of these issues will be examined in this paper and will give a few intends to build up the travel industry segment to help animate the travel industry in Damascus to return as it was the Pearl of the East.

Damascus: From the Fall of Persia to the Roman Conquest

Abstract This contribution aims to provide an outline of the political dynamics, cultural developments, and, ultimately, historical semantics of the city of Damascus for the circle(s) of its eponymous Document.

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WEO Newsletter.

EMEVİLER VE OSMANLI DEVLETİ YÖNETİMİ ALTINDA ŞAM: BİR İSLAM ŞEHRİ ÖRNEĞİ

The Ottoman Empire has, without a doubt, transformed almost every region under its sovereignty into a center of attraction and culture. One of these settlements is the city of Damascus which is located within the region known as Bilad Ush-Sham (Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan). The city, which entered the Ottoman dominance from 1521 onwards, is known as Damascus in European languages and as Sham between Arabs. Today, contrary to the claims of some Western historians not based on any document, the city was reconstructed and developed economically after entering the Ottoman dominationIn this study, the conquest of the city of Damascus by the Islamic State, the situation under the Umayyad and Ottoman rule of the city, and the characteristics of the Islamic cities have been touched on. Also, it will be examined how the territory is in the Ottoman domination of the economic, administrative and socio-cultural aspects in 19th. century; Information about the current Ottoman & Islamic works will be given.

Flying above Bloodshed: Performative Protest in the Scared City of Damascus

Syrian activists adopted the flying demonstration protest form in 2011 during the Arab Spring. A flying demonstration occurs for a few minutes, and then the demonstrators run away. Protestors mainly chose this form to avoid deadly confrontations with the regime’s secret police. This article examines how flying demonstrations challenged the Syrian state’s media allegations that no demonstrations were taking place. Action, spectatorship, aftermath, and catharsis were key concepts from the theater and performance fields that allowed Syrian activists to intensify the demonstrations and achieve certainty, making flying demonstrations a consistent phenomenon in the capital, Damascus. I analyze the flying demonstrations theories brought from Richard Schechner’s performance theory and Augusto Boal’s invisible theater. Although demonstrators were not considering theater during their protests, I conclude that flying demonstrations’ theatrical characteristics were essential to making this phenomenon visually compelling, encouraging more participation, and, to some extent, guaranteeing safety during deadly Syrian events.

Flying above Bloodshed: Performative Protest in the Scared City of Damascus

Flying above Bloodshed: Performative Protest in the Scared City of Damascus

Prevalence of Giardia duodenalis assemblages and sub-assemblages in symptomatic patients from Damascus city and its suburbs

Giardia duodenalis is one of the most important human enteric parasites worldwide and is endemic throughout the world with a vast range of mammalian hosts. However, there is limited information on the prevalent genetic variability of G. duodenalis in Syria. This study aimed to evaluate the predominance of G. duodenalis assemblages/sub-assemblages causing humans infection in the city of Damascus and its suburbs. 40 symptomatic giardiasis patients were recruited in this study. Fecal samples were genotyped using PCR/RFLP assay targeting the β-giardin and glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh) genes. HaeIII, BspL1 and RsaI restriction enzymes were used to differentiate between G. duodenalis assemblages/sub-assemblages. Our data showed that 65% of isolates were of assemblage A; 45% belonged to sub-assemblage AII and 20% to sub-assemblage AI. Assemblage B was detected in 27.5% of isolates; 12.5% fit in sub-assemblage BIV, 5% fit in sub-assemblage BIII and 10.5% fit in Discordant genotype BIII/BIV. Mixed genotypes (AII+BIII and AI+BIV) were identified in 3 isolates (7.5%). Significant correlation was found between Giardia AII sub-assemblage and weight loss symptom (P-value=0.05) as well as between contact with domestic animals (cats, P-value=0.027). Moreover, a significant correlation was found between sub-assemblage AI and livestock breeding (P-value=0.000). In conclusion genotyping of human Giardia duodenalis isolates suggests anthroponotic transmission for the route of infection in Damascus and its suburbs. Further studies are needed to screen a wide geographic areas in Syria and to estimate the prevalence of G. duodenalis infection in our population.

Preserving the Old City of Damascus by Faedah M. Totah Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2014. 328 pp.

Preserving the Old City of Damascus by Faedah M. Totah Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2014. 328 pp.

The conditions of the mujahideen behind the Roman paths in early Islam through the narrations of Ibn Asaker in his book The Great History of the City of Damascus

بعد متابعة تفاصيل البحث وجزئيّاته بالدراسة يمكن ان نخلص الى ان المؤرخ ابن عساكر عُدَّ من المؤرخين والمحدّثين الثقات الذين وضعوا قواعد التوثيق والتأصيل في التدوين التاريخي والذين نالوا ثناء مشايخهم ومعاصريهم واللاحقين لهم , فقد اتسم بالأمانة والدقة في نقل الروايات التاريخية ذات الصلة بموضوع البحث من خلال ذكره مصادرها ورواتها دون تحرّج او تكلّف كل في موضعه , وبدا أنه لا غنى لمن أراد دراسة تاريخ الجهاد الاسلامي على جبهة الروم من العودة اليه , لأنه نقل رواياته الخاصة بهذا الشأن عن مصادر تاريخية متخصصة ودقيقة غاية في الأهمية تعد الآن في عداد المفقودات .
 إذ قدمت رواياته صوراً مهمة عن أحوال المجاهدين خلف الدروب الرومية لم يكن يسيراً على الباحث أن يجدها فيما سواه من المصادر فقد ظهر أن أولئك المجاهدين عبروا الدروب منذ وقت مبكر في العصر الراشدي , ثم تلت ذلك حملات جهادية كثيرة في العصر الأموي تفاوتت فيها أعداد المجاهدين تبعاً لطبيعة المهمّات المراد منهم انجازها وطبيعة دفاعات عدوهم الروم والأرض التي ستجري عليها المعارك , كما أظهرت الروايات أن اختيار قيادات أولئك المجاهدين لم يكن عشوائياً إنما كان يتم ذلك بدقة عالية وروية يصطفى بها الرجال المؤهلون لمثل تلك المهمات , ممن لهم صفات ومزايا تمكنهم من نيل ثقة الخلافة آنذاك , كما بينت الروايات أن المجاهدين خلف الدروب كانوا على درجة عالية من الأيمان والتقوى وقد تجسد ذلك بعفافهم وأمانتهم وزهدهم بعروض الدنيا الزائلة إذ قدموا أروع الأمثلة في ذلك وفي عدة مواقف خلدتها المصادر التاريخية , كما تحلى المجاهدون قيادةً وجنداً بذكاء ميداني مميز أهلهم لمقارعة عدو صعب المراس مثل الروم الذين خبروا فنون الحرب وألفوا طبيعة بلادهم وتضاريسها , وكان للمجاهدين خلف الدروب طريقتهم الخاصة في النفير والتحشد و استحضروا مبادئ الحرب التي اظهرت خبرتهم الحربية وتفتح أذهانهم بشكل يسّر لهم التأقلم والتفاعل مع البيئة التي سيقارعون فيها عدوهم .

Documentation of some Cultural Heritage Emergencies in Syria In August 2010 by Spherical Photrammetry

Abstract. Syria is a country of many civilizations, Marie, Aramaic, Phoenician, Roman, Byzantine, Islamic, Ottoman civilizations. Unfortunally the recent war is the reason for many cultural heritage items to be destroyed, beyond the thausand civilian people killed. In 2010, just before the war, the A. made a touristic trip together with Crua (Recreational Club of the Ancona University). It was the occasion to make some fast documentation of some Syrian CH monuments. Mostly of the images were taken by the A. not to make a survey, but as a photographic report, as fast and complete as possible. For a regular survey project, the tripod, the spherical head should be used for the takings and the 3x3 Cipa rules should be followed, that occurred only in the three main projects, say the survey of the citadel walls in Aleppo, the survey of the Umayyads Mosque in Damascus, and the survey of the minaret of the Umayyads Mosque in Aleppo. All the other documentation surveys have been carried out with hand-held camera taking the dimension of the model from Google earth high resolution, when available. But, apart the regular surveys, due to the explosion of the unexpected war, the photographs taken in such a touristic way, have been used to try to get some usable plottings an restitutions and it worked successfully mostly of the times. These surveys could be useful in case of reconstruction and in case of lack of suitable alternative metric documentation. Because of the continuing threats, all six Syrian World Heritage properties were inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger, at the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Cambodia last June: Ancient City of Aleppo, Ancient City of Bosra, Ancient City of Damascus, Ancient Villages of Northern Syria, Krak des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din ans finally the Site of Palmyra. See the following links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kr.a3e0DL5sA and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltFFjjrUgtU. Apart the Ancient Villages of Northern Syria, the A. visited all the World Heritage sites and partly documented. Some of them have already been plotted, some are in the orientation stage, some have been documented only.

A Roman monumental building in south-east Damascus?

Walls of a monumental building, apparently Roman in date, were found in the south-eastern section of the old city of Damascus in the basement of an Ottoman house during its conversion into a hotel in 2004–2011. The wall appears to be oriented to the Roman grid. The discovery of walls of a possible Roman monumental structure raises several important questions about the topography of this poorly understood part of ancient Damascus. This paper discusses the nature of the ashlars, notable for their size, their possible date and whether they were a part of a gymnasium constructed by Herod the Great.

Preserving the old city of Damascus

Preserving the old city of Damascus

“Nothing Has Changed”: Social Continuity and the Gentrification of the Old City of Damascus

In this article, I explore how discourses on the urban–rural binary that has long defined social hierarchies in Damascus informed the gentrification of the Old City of Damascus. Gentrification was facilitated by economic policies that favored a market economy, and took the form of converting traditional couryard houses into restaurants and hotels. Moreover, it led to the displacement of long-term residents and the influx of new social users to the historic city center. I demonstrate how gentrification was widely accepted in Damascus because it was cast as saving the Shami (Damascene) city from rural migrants, a variation of the urban–rural binary theme under new economic conditions; even long-term residents did not tend to decry the displacement of families who had rural backgrounds. By examining this process in Haret Hananya, I illustrate how long-term residents were unfazed by the demographic transformations in their neighborhood, as property owners saw an increase in home values and renters saw new opportunities under amended rental laws. Though gentrification also created new distinctions among long-term residents, by privileging property owners over renters, both groups welcomed the improvements in their neighborhoods not only for the services that came with new venues, but also for the new respectability that their neighborhoods gained. This respectability allowed many long-term residents to attain some measure of social standing from living in the Old City, after many decades of disparagement. I conclude that though gentrification transformed neighborhoods, it maintained the traditional social hierarchy along urban and rural lines, even as these categories came to take on new meanings under new economic conditions.